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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27316813">submersion</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/4wholecats/pseuds/4wholecats'>4wholecats</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Choking, Drowning, M/M, Prompt: Delayed Drowning, Whumptober 2020, that one map with the disappearing bridges</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:16:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,196</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27316813</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/4wholecats/pseuds/4wholecats</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Hey, did you fall asleep? In wet clothes?”</p>
<p>Kent cracked open an unfocused eye, staring at Sain before letting out a weak, wet cough.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kent/Sain (Fire Emblem)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959316</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>submersion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i phoned this one in cause im a bit afraid of drowning myself lol, dont worry october may be over but i PLAN on finishing all of the prompts! maybe some of the extras too</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“That’s right, up you go,” Sain said with a grunt as Lucius grabbed at his extended arm. Using the wall of the pool as leverage, the priest scrambled onto dry land, still sputtering and coughing up the thin, purple liquid that now surrounded their small island. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What kind of</span>
  <em>
    <span> idiot</span>
  </em>
  <span> floods a </span>
  <em>
    <span>temple</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the army was far off now, having been spared the indecency of a sudden bath. Their islands remained connected with heavy stone bridges; bridges that, given the events of the last few minutes, wouldn’t remain sturdy for long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sain let go of Lucius’s hand, patting the man on the back as he kneeled on the small platform and caught his breath. From further out into the indoor lake, a shock of orange appeared, rapidly approaching the two men. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kent! We have the same rotten luck, as always,” Sain called out into the dark cavern, squatting down near the edge of the pool. When the other cavalier drew close enough, Sain grabbed his forearm and pulled him ashore, letting go as his partner rolled onto his back with closed eyes. Sain let out a few coughs of his own as Lucius got to his feet, both their sounds drowned out by Kent’s shaky, heaving breaths. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So-” another tickle rose in Sain’s throat, and he sputtered. “So. I guess we have-</span>
  <em>
    <span> HCK!</span>
  </em>
  <span> -no choice but to wait here then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have no interest in swimming…” Lucius mumbled, sounding miserable. His wet hair clung to his face and neck, and the strange water dyed his white robes a dirty lilac color. He pulled off his scarf, which landed on the floor with a wet slap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about you, Kent? Fancy a race to the other side?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other man coughed, drops of water flying into the air. His head rolled as he delivered Sain a nasty side-eye.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right here? In front of our dear priest?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kent didn’t grace Sain with an answer, leaving the cavalier to contend with Lucius’s unimpressed stare all on his own. Hands in pockets, Sain sat back down, dangling his legs over the edge of the small island. The toes of his boots dipped into the foul liquid, and he spent several minutes entertaining himself by splashing in the water like a child.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seconds seemed to last hours. It was a long while before any words were exchanged again, the silence becoming oppressing. They were all worried about their friends across the lake. Worried, but unable to help.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you suppose we’ll get out of here then?” Lucius had sat down next to Sain at some point, and was tracing patterns in the muck with the jeweled tip of his heal stave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well…” Sain leaned back on his elbows, gazing across the cavern at where their comrades could be seen. They were mere specks in the distance now, with armor and weapons that occasionally caught the light. “I think either killing that mage woman will bring back the bridges… or we’ll have to walk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Walk?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Swim, I mean.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lucius frowned deeply at that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d rather not… perhaps lady Florina would be willing to ferry us across?” As if on cue, a white shape soared over their heads, flying towards the battle. “She seems to be having no trouble.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure if you ask nicely…” Sain trailed off. In truth, he didn’t mind the idea of having to swim back to safety… he had a decent backstroke, and the exit wasn’t very far away. He turned towards Kent, who hadn’t moved since his escape from the watery depths. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man’s eyes were closed, and he breathed deeply as he laid on his back. Sain gave him a weak nudge with his hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, did you fall asleep?</span>
  <em>
    <span> In wet clothes</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kent cracked open an unfocused eye, staring at Sain before letting out a weak, wet cough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then another cough, this one stronger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And another. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lucius tore his eyes away from the battle across the lake as Kent curled in on himself, hugging his legs and bringing a hand to his mouth. The cavalier gasped and heaved, expression twisted into one of terrible pain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my-” the cleric scrambled to his feet, struggling to find solid footing on the slippery stone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kent? What’s wrong?” Sain put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Kent ignored him, curling into a tighter ball as his face turned red with strain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He must have breathed in some of the water when he fell,” Lucius dropped to his knees behind Kent, yanking his chest armor off before pressing an ear to the choking man’s back. “He’s struggling to breath... and it doesn't sound good in there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kent took more heaving yet shallow breaths, desperately gulping for air. Without thinking, Sain grabbed his hand and held it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do we do? I don’t… I don’t remember how to stop someone from choking!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just stay calm. I can fix this.” Lucius’s face was determined as he raised his staff and chanted quietly. The blue jewel glowed with mystical light. Kent seized on the ground, gripping Sain’s hand tight enough to bruise. With a loud, wheezing gasp, he sucked in air as if he was breathing for the very first time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With one final, tremendous cough, a puddle of purple water, tinged with red, splattered on the ground under the man’s head.  Kent’s limbs flopped bonelessly to the side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kent!” Sain released his partner’s hand, reaching up to pat at his face instead. The other man’s eyes remained closed, but his breathing was stronger now. Lucius put his ear to Kent’s chest, listening hard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He should be okay now… It looks like he got rid of all the water in one go, thankfully,” Lucius sat up straight, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Breathing in water… if it gets into your lungs… it can be terribly dangerous. It would have choked him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But he’s good now, right? You fixed him?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lucius considered Kent with a thoughtful expression, and raised his staff again. Another pulse of blue light lit the island.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright… </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’ve fixed him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you do?” Sain’s voice wavered with unsureness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He coughed up some blood before… so I gave him an extra boost. It would be terrible to escape drowning in water, only to drown in your own blood instead, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sain shivered for reasons unrelated to the night’s chill or his damp clothes. “That sounds… horrible…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I agree. Perhaps it’s good fortune that I fell in the lake... Otherwise, he might not have made it…” Lucius paused to flick a damp tendril of hair away from his face. “But of course, the only way to make sure he’s fine is to see how he feels when he wakes up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am awake,” a tired voice from below responded. Lucius and Sain looked down in astonishment. Overcome, Sain wrapped his arms around Kent’s neck, pressing his nose into the top of the other man’s damp orange hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m supposed to be the reckless one… Don’t scare me like that again…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kent seemed to be too tired to respond, but the limp pat Sain felt on his arm was reassurance enough.</span>
</p>
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